4 Ways To Define A Sandwich,According To The Law

李明偉

三明治到底是什么？有人認為兩片面包夾個東西就是三明治，那么熱狗算不算三明治？事實上，美國不同部門對于三明治有著不同的定義，今天我們就來看看什么食物才稱得上三明治。

1. CALIFORNIA： HOT DOGS ARE SANDWICHES

Despite fitting the description of a food product served on a bread-like product， many sandwich purists insist that hot dogs deserve their own category. California joins Merriam-Webster in declaring that a hot dog is a sandwich， nonetheless. The bold word choice appears in the state’s tax law， which mentions“hot dog and hamburger sandwiches”served from“sandwich stands or booths.”Applying the sandwich label to burgers is less controversial， but it’s still worth debating.

2. MASSACHUSETTS COURT： A BURRITO IS NOTASANDWICH

Justice Jeffrey A. Locke from the Worcester County Superior Court said in 2006 that“The New Webster Third International Dictionary describes a‘sandwich’as‘two thin pieces of bread， usually buttered， with a thin layer （as of meat， cheese， or savory mixture） spread between them.’”

He said：“Under this definition and as dictated by common sense， this court finds that the term‘sandwich’is not commonly understood to include burritos， tacos， and quesadillas.”

3. USDA： A SANDWICH IS MEAT BETWEEN TWO SLICES OF BREAD

“A sandwich is a meat or poultry filling between two slices of bread， a bun， or a biscuit，”Mark Wheeler， who works in food and safety at the US Department of Agriculture， told NPR. His definition comes from the Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book used by the department （the USDA only covers the“labeling of meat， poultry， and egg products，”while the FDA handles everything else， which is why the USDA’s definition ex- cludes things like grilled cheese）. Not included under their umbrella of foodstuff served between bread are burritos， wraps， and hot dogs.

4. NEW YORK： IF IT’S SERVED ON SOMETHING REMOTELY BREAD- LIKE， IT’S A SANDWICH

When it comes to sandwiches， New York doesn’t discriminate. In a bulletin outlining the state’s tax policy， a description of what constitutes a sandwich warrants its own subhead. The article reads： "Sandwiches include cold and hot sandwiches of every kind that are prepared and ready to be eaten， whether made on bread， on bagels， on rolls， in pitas， in wraps， or otherwise， and regardless of the filling or number of layers. A sandwich can be as simple as a buttered bagel or roll， or as elaborate as a sixfoot， toasted submarine sandwich.”

It then moves on to examples of taxable sandwiches. The list includes items widely believed to bear the label， like Reubens， paninis， club sandwiches， and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Other entries， like burritos， gyros， open-faced sandwiches， and hot dogs， may cause confusion among diners.

1.美國加州：熱狗也是三明治

盡管熱狗也是兩片面包夾個東西，但是許多三明治純粹主義者堅稱熱狗應該自成一類。不過，加州政府和韋氏詞典一樣，都認為熱狗也是三明治。加州稅法中提到“三明治小攤上的熱狗和漢堡包三明治”。把漢堡包也稱為三明治雖然爭議沒那么大，但是也值得商榷。

2.馬薩諸塞州法院：玉米卷餅不是三明治

2006年，伍斯特縣高等法院法官杰弗里·A·洛克曾說過：“《韋氏第三版新國際英語詞典》對三明治的定義是：兩片薄面包，通常抹了黃油，中間平鋪了一層薄餡兒（肉、奶酪或調味醬）。”

他指出：“根據這一定義和常識，法院裁定三明治不應包括墨西哥玉米卷餅、墨西哥夾餅和墨西哥薄餅。”

3.美國農業部：三明治就是兩片面包夾肉

美國農業部食品安全部門的馬克·惠勒告訴美國國家公共電臺說：“三明治就是兩片面包、一個小圓面包或一張餅夾著豬牛羊肉或家禽肉餡料。”他給的定義來自農業部使用的《食品標準與標簽政策》。農業部只負責“給豬牛羊肉、家禽肉和蛋制品貼標簽”，而美國食品藥品監督管理局負責給所有其他食品貼標簽，這就是為什么農業部定義的三明治所夾東西不包含烤奶酪等食物。根據農業部的定義，墨西哥玉米卷餅、薄卷餅和熱狗都不屬于三明治的范疇。……